Corey Crawford Extension Coming Soon?

According to the Calgary Sun, the Blackhawks may have a deal done with restricted free agent goalie Corey Crawford before July.

The Chicago Blackhawks have identified rookie goalie Corey Crawford as their top priority to re-sign past next season, and Crawford is amenable to it. His agent, Gilles Lupien, said they spoke three weeks ago and agreed they’ll hammer out a deal face-to-face at the draft where he’ll table three possible deals ranging from two to four years in length.

A good benchmark for Crawford’s deal is probably Detroit’s Jimmy Howard, who signed a two-year, $4.5M extension during the 2010-11 season. Crawford should expect a cap number between $2-2.5M.